by Michael Rapson

Do you want to exercise and start eating better, but don’t know where to start?

Building a fitness and nutrition routine from scratch can feel overwhelming.

Many people think they should be hitting the gym 5 days a week and going on an extreme diet plan to get the results they are looking for as quickly as possible.

But trying to do too much sets yourself up for failure.

You might feel like you aren’t working hard enough if you miss a day, and then feel guilty for it because you feel like you failed yourself.

This type of mentality is why people can start out strong at first, but after a few weeks it just becomes too much.

Start small.

Plan a couple days in the week that you can do a full body strength routine. On the days in between, do some recovery exercises like walking or something you really enjoy doing. And if you’re spending more than a half hour at first exercising, you’re doing too much.

Over time, you might add another full body strength training day and increase your time a bit. But if you are spending more than an hour at the gym, you’re there too long.

Your exercise routine should be to the point. Get in and get out.

Here’s a look at what you could do:

Monday – Full body strength routine including legs like Squat variations or Lunge variations. Hip hinges like Deadlifts, Glute Bridges (double or single leg), Single Leg Deadlifts, or Romanian Deadlifts. Pulling exercises like Lat Pull Downs, Chin-ups, Seated or Standing Rows, Inverted TRX Rows, Bent-Over Rows, or 3-Point Dumbbell Rows. Pushing exercises like Push-ups, Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press, or Single Arm-Cable Presses. Shoulder exercises like Over-head Presses, Face Pulls, or High Pulley Rows. Core exercises like Plank, Side Plank, Mountain Climbers, or Dead Bugs. Or you could combine exercises together like a Reverse Lunge with Single-Arm Cable Row as you progress.

(Note: Choose one exercise from each category and pick a weight you can lift for 8-12 repetitions and start with 2-3 sets. Do the same or similar routine for a couple of weeks, and then switch out the exercises to avoid it being boring and to not wear down one movement pattern.)

Tuesday – Active Recovery exercises like walking, rowing, light jog, swimming, or some other activity you enjoy doing like playing with kids, etc.

Wednesday – Active Recovery day. This could be just getting outside and doing a little bit of yard work, or gardening, washing the car, playing with the dog, etc.

Thursday – Full body strength routine. The same workout you did on Monday or maybe a slight variation to include body parts you didn’t get to on Monday.

Friday – Active Recovery day

Saturday – Active Recovery day. Maybe it’s taking a hike with the family or friends, or playing your favorite sport, riding the bike around the neighborhood, playing frisbee, etc.

Sunday – Take a day off.

Feeling a little more ambitious? You could try this 3-Day strength routine:

Week 1

Monday – Strength day. Legs, back, and core

Tuesday – Active Recovery

Wednesday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Thursday – Active Recovery

Friday – Strength day. Hip hinge, back, and core.

Saturday – Active Recovery

Sunday – Take the day off

Week 2

Monday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Tuesday – Active Recovery

Wednesday – Strength day. Legs, Back and Core.

Thursday – Active Recovery

Friday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Saturday – Active Recovery

Sunday – Take the day off

Week 3

Monday – Strength day. Hip hinge, back, and core

Tuesday – Active Recovery

Wednesday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Thursday – Active Recovery

Friday – Strength day. Legs, back, and core.

Saturday – Active Recovery

Sunday – Take the day off

Week 4 (Deload Week. Go a little lighter with a bit less intensity to recover from heavy loads.)

Monday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Tuesday – Active Recovery

Wednesday – Strength day. Legs, Back and Core.

Thursday – Active Recovery

Friday – Strength day. Chest, Shoulders, and core.

Saturday – Active Recovery

Sunday – Take the day off

(Click here to download your free Nutrition and Fitness for Busy Professionals infographic.)

Whatever workout routine you do, choose something that will work best for you. There are many variations you can choose from on how your week is set up depending on your goals. The previous are just examples to give you an idea of what you could do.

Aim for 2 strength training days, and 2 or 3 active recovery days at first.

If you can’t commit to the active recovery days, then just start with the strength days. And build from there. Once the strength days become a habit, then add a day of active recovery.

You could even reverse it if you wanted. Maybe it’s just committing to 2 cardio days per week, and then adding in some strength training.

The point is to at least do something to get in the habit of exercise. As you get better, increase the time or the intensity to your workouts to improve.

If you like working out in a group setting, choose a class that you enjoy.

If you’d rather work out alone, still choose activities that you enjoy doing.

The same principle of starting out small can work for eating better as well.

Maybe it’s practicing a couple weeks of eating slowly to learn what it feels like to really enjoy your food.

Or you could work on eating to 80% full for a couple of weeks to learn what it feels like to eat until you are satisfied.

You could work on going as long as you can before eating your next meal for a couple of weeks to figure out when you are truly hungry.

Or maybe it’s adding a vegetable to one meal per day and when you have that down, you can go for 2 meals and so on.

It could be getting protein in every meal. Or cutting back on carbs.

Choose something that will create a big impact toward your goal and practice it. Once it becomes a habit, move on to the next thing you want to work on.

Focusing on less, helps you achieve more.

It helps because you won’t be focused on too many things at once.

In fact, when you try to change more than one habit at a time, your success rate plummets from an 80% success rate to a 35% success rate when you try to change two things at once. If you add a third habit, the success rate goes down even further.

Whatever you choose, work on one thing at a time, and your chances of success will be much greater.

If you’re looking for guidance on how to improve your eating and exercise, eliminate the confusion, learn how to incorporate new healthy habits into your life, and finally look and feel the way you want, Personal Coaching can help you and has helped men and women around the world.

Changing your life isn’t just about eating better and exercise, it’s everything else that comes along with it as well.

You see, living a healthy lifestyle is also about mental shifts that need to happen.

Many people dabble in fitness and nutrition, but don’t quite make it a life-long thing.

Why?

They haven’t made the mental shift to realize that permanent results can happen and created the consistency they need for it to stick.

There is help.

You’ll learn how to lose weight and keep it off, become stronger, and create the mental resilience to overcome the obstacles that you face.

You’ll develop a growth mindset and exceed even your own expectations.

You’ll feel more capable, more confident, and more free than you have in a long time.

And you’ll learn the strategies for eating well and exercise in the context of your busy, hectic life, without depending on meal plans, calorie counts, or will power.

You don’t have to settle for the life you’re living. Step out of your comfort zone to where real growth happens, and start living an extraordinary life today!

Ready to try coaching? – Get a free 60-minute coaching session to get started!

In just one powerful session, you will:

• Get clarity on the top goals for you in the next year
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